


Work In Progress

by SeeMaree



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-02-22 22:34:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2524124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeeMaree/pseuds/SeeMaree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peeta only wants the best working on his fixer upper. Imagine his surprise when the best turns out to be a surly woman who stands 5'2" in her work boots. All she does is glare at him, so why can't he stop thinking about her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta only wants the best working on his fixer upper. Imagine his surprise when the best turns out to be a surly woman who stands 5'2" in her work boots. All she does is glare at him, so why can't he stop thinking about her?

Peeta has never had so much money before in his life. His first major gallery show had been a success, and he has the dollars to prove it.

He knows exactly how he wants to spend it. He's going to buy a house. He's tired of spending his days shuttling between his tiny apartment and the studio space he rents down town. He wants a place of his own where he can paint and live. He's been thinking about it for a while, and he figures that the combined rent on his two places just about equals a mortgage, if he gets something a bit rundown. And now with the chunk of money sitting in his bank account, he can cover a down payment and some repairs.

His dream house turns out to be a 1930's fixer upper, in what his real estate agent optimistically terms an 'up and coming area.' It's love at first sight. Peeta can see exactly how it will be. The formal living and dining rooms flow together into one space, and will make a perfect studio. The kitchen can be opened up with room for a dining table, and the funny 1960's addition can easily become his living space. The house hasn't been remodeled in decades, and still has all the original art deco touches. Peeta makes an offer on the spot.

His mother is of course horrified. His parents worked and scrimped and saved for years to get out of the blue collar neighbourhood that he spent his childhood in. They now proudly inhabit a 5 bedroom mcmansion in a planned housing development. She doesn't understand that Peeta actually preferred his childhood home to the new soulless box. 

His brother laughs and hands him a card for a contractor. "We used him last year when we remodeled the bakery. He's a bit eccentric but Haymitch is the best there is. Make sure you tell him I sent you. He doesn't take on just anything, but I think he'll get a kick out of your house."

Haymitch is great. He's grumpy and sarcastic, with questionable personal hygiene, but he's also sharp and honest, and keeps the remodel humming along at a much faster rate than Peeta thought possible. 

Haymitch does most of the carpentry work himself, so Peeta is surprised when Haymitch plans to bring in a sub to do the cabinets for the studio.  
'You want it to look like it came with the house right?' He asks. Peeta does. The house has beautiful mahogany woodwork and built in cabinetry throughout, and Peeta has been adamant about matching the look on all the new work.

Haymitch gestures toward the floor to ceiling cabinetry that lines the hallway. 'I'm a decent carpenter but to make stuff like that you need a specialist. Don't worry. I know the best.'

The best turns out to be a surly young woman who stands perhaps 5'2" in her work boots. She scowls as Haymitch cheerfully slings his arm around her shoulders. "Peeta this is Katniss. The best custom cabinetmaker I have ever had the privilege to work with. Just explain what you want and Sweetheart here can get something worked up."

Her glare is unnerving, as he attempts to explain what he needs, and finally he just tells her what he wants to store in the way of supplies, and asks for it to match everything else.

She nods and beings taking measurements, muttering about star burst veneer, and brass hardware. He guesses he has been dismissed. 

Half an hour later Peeta is in the bedroom with the electrician, discussing the placement of the outlets, when she silently reappears. The technical drawing she shows him on the screen of her laptop is nothing like the artistic rendering he would have done, but it makes him gasp. "It's amazing. You're an artist." She tries to maintain her scowl but he sees the corners of her mouth turn up. She can start next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss returns a few weeks later, with a seemingly random assortment of lumber, and a lot of tools. Peeta's surprised. He thought she would just build the cabinet in her shop and show up to drop it in place. But it looks like she's setting up to built it right on the spot.

When he questions her she glares suspiciously. She thinks he doubts her ability, Peeta realizes. Wondering how often she has to prove herself and her skills, he tries to keep an expression of honest curiosity on his face.

"You wanted authentic." She says, after a long moment. "Back in the day, cabinets were built in place. Look inside the ones in your hall if you don't believe me." He can hear the challenge in her voice. He desperately wants to look inside his other cabinets now, but he doesn't want to be appear to question her knowledge. 

"Oh I believe you. I was just, you know, curious." He backed away cautiously. She's kind of scary.

Still, Peeta can't help but watch her. He's fascinated by the graceful way she handles her equipment, the way the muscles in her arms ripple as she lifts and moves things. His fingers itch for a pencil. Perhaps he can start a new series, Woman With Power Tools. 

Peeta decides he needs to back off before he freaks her out. Luckily Haymitch arrives with the plumber. Peeta discusses his plumbing needs with the guy, while Haymitch and Katniss banter insults back and forth. They are obviously old friends, and when Haymitch asks condescendingly if she needs him to show her how to use a hammer, she actually laughs. The sound turns the head of every man in the place, and Peeta finds himself feeling protective. He can see the alert focus of the men, and he just wants to tell them to stop. Stop looking at her, stop thinking sleazy thoughts. She doesn't deserve to be objectified, just because she works in the trades.

Katniss doesn't need his protection. When one of the guys clumsily tries to flirt with her, and calls her sweetheart, (did he really think anyone but Haymitch could get away with that?) she doesn't even bother with a reply, just gives the man a death glare and turns back to her work.

A little nervous he'll get the same treatment, if he keeps hanging around, Peeta retreats to paint walls. It's one of the few tasks he had felt confident tackling himself. After all, he is a painter. Okay, his skills didn't transfer quite as well as he had expected, but with some trial and error, plus some help from Haymitch he's been happily covering his walls with colors. He knows it's not professional quality or speed, but he's really enjoying the process. Today he's rolling warm orange onto his bedroom walls.

"I thought all you artist types wanted bright white walls everywhere." He jolts, startled, and turned around to see Katniss leaning against the door frame. How does she keep sneaking up on him?

"Only if you want to live in a gallery. This is a home, not a showroom. And I like how the color adds an extra dimension to the art." He grins at her, and she smiles slightly in return. He is so gone on this tiny scary woman with sawdust in her hair.

"Oh. Well it looks good. I hate white walls."

Peeta's smile widens. "I guess we have something in common then." They stare at each other for a moment, before she shakes her head slightly. 

"I just wanted to tell you the cabinet is in, if you want to take a look." Of course he does. When he sees it, he gasps in amazement. It's perfect. Like it's always been there. But more. He runs his hands over the decorative veneering that runs down the front of the drawers.

"How do you even do this? It's so beautiful! It's like the other cabinets but better."

He can tell she is pleased with his response. Her back straightens and she smiles proudly. "I figured since this was the formal part of the house, the cabinetry here could be a little fancier than the other rooms, so yeah, I decided to show off a little. I don't get to do veneer work like that very often, and it's kind of my favorite."

"it's amazing and I'm glad you're a show off. So are you done?" Peeta hopes she says no.

"No. I still need to spray the lacquer. I don't want to do it now, it kind of shuts a job down with the fumes. I was hoping maybe I can do it Saturday afternoon? It'll only take a few hours." Give up his Saturday afternoon, to hang out at an empty house, with the object of his crush? Of course he is okay with that. 

Spraying lacquer does not turn out to be as fun as Peeta imagined. It really does smell very bad. He uses lacquer on his canvases, but this is whole different level of nasty. Katniss offers him a mask so he can watch her spray, and it's interesting at first. But soon enough he retreats to the porch with a sketchbook. 

Katniss comes and finds him later in the day. "All done," is all she says. Peeta follows her inside and admires the completed work. He stands at the kitchen counter, writing her check, and trying to think of a way to delay her departure. He knows he should just ask her out, but he's scared. She's scary. He doesn't want to end up with the death glare and her back. 

He's wondering if he can talk her into a non-date meeting, perhaps a tour of her shop? He is curious about how she does the designs in the veneer.

"Do you want to come and have a drink with me, maybe get some dinner?" Katniss blurts out. Did she just ask him out? 

She takes his gaping astonishment as a no. "Oh. I thought... sorry, I'll just go." She drags her hand over her face and turns to leave, muttering to herself, "I'm so bad at this."

The sight of her walking out startles Peeta out of his stupor. "Yes! Katniss yes, let's go out! Don't leave!" She stops and gives him an uncertain look. 

"Really?"

He can feel the hugest smile breaking over his face. 'Yeah, really.' 

They stand an grin foolishly at each other, until Katniss says "well are you ready now? We could walk down to Finn's, if you don't mind me leaving my van here."

She wants to go on their first date in work boots, smelling of chemicals, with dust in her hair. She is so different to the women Peeta has dated, they may not even be the same species. And that's what is drawing him to her, like a moth to a flame. Katniss is real, this is her and and she won't pretend otherwise. She is real and she makes Peeta feel real too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kind of a flashback chapter. I initially wrote this as the start of the story but it seemed like kind of a downer beginning, but I feel like now works, it clarifies why Peeta found Katniss to be so real.
> 
> I know it's annoying when authors beg for comments, but I am really dieing to hear what you think. I like critical reviews almost as much as I like positive ones, so just put it out there!

Peeta never really fit in at art school. He knew what the others thought of him. Too wholesome. Boring. Provincial. Hick. His dull wardrobe of jeans and plain t-shirts made him stand out like a sore thumb among his fashion forward peers. He had no interest in the party scene, he had no visible tattoos or piercings, and his hair was left it's natural color.

It exasperated his classmates when the teachers gushed about his enormous talent, his stunning originality, the maturity of his vision. Someone so obviously out of place apparently had no right to be good.

It was annoying and a bit lonely, but it wasn't in his nature to dwell on the negative. He had a few friends, he had his art, and he had the love and support of his family. He was fine.

He thought it would be better when he graduated, that out in the real world people would be less focused on him, and more on his art. He was wrong.

He was sitting in a bar one night with his friends Portia and Cinna, recently graduated fashion students. They were some of the only people he had met in college that he actually liked.

"Why can't I get anyone to take me seriously? It's like they take one look at me and decide the don't even want to look at my portfolio!" He stared morosely into his beer.

His friends laughed at him.

"Peeta please tell me you finally get it." Portia said after she had finished giggling. "A gallery isn't going to put on a show for an unknown artist with no star power. No matter how talented you are in the end people aren't buying a picture, they're buying a Peeta Mellark. And if Peeta Mellark is boring then no one is buying."

He felt like crying. "So I have to stop being myself? Be some stupid pretentious fool before anyone will even look at my stuff? I can't do it!"

She gave him a thoughtful look. "Think of it as putting on a costume. You put it on when you got out as 'Artist Peeta' and the rest of the time you can be yourself." It sounded unpleasantly deceitful to Peeta. But then she added, "do you think anyone else is out there being authentic?"

In the end it mostly came down to clothes. It was pretty lucky for him that Portia had just landed a job at an offbeat menswear label, she put together a few outfits for far less money than he expected. He was shocked at the reception 'Artist Peeta' received. 

The persona they came up with was pretty simple. It was obvious that he just couldn't pull off arrogant and pretentious, or dark and broody. But charming and flirtatious? Yeah he could do that. It actually came pretty naturally. And when he met someone who was clearly more interested in the artist lifestyle than the art? Just throw in a little smug superiority. Also not a problem.

After a while it really did feel like he was putting on a costume. Covering his personality with a layer of artifice as he covered his body with the carefully selected clothes. But sometimes it was hard to remember what was real and what was not.


	4. Chapter 4

Peeta is starting to think that he many not actually be dating Katniss.

It had seemed like she had asked him out. But then they got to the pub. They had barely exchanged some awkward small talk when Finn, the owner of the place, and clearly a good friend of Kantiss', sat down at the table and made himself at home. it seemed like Katniss came here often. She lived right here in the same neighborhood. 

Finn was a lot of fun, charming, with lots of funny stories. He was also the most intimidatingly attractive man that Peeta had ever seen. And handsy. The guy never seemed to stop touching Katniss, her hands, her hair, her back. It seemed excessive, even to someone from the overly dramatic art scene. And really, Peeta had come here to spend time with Katniss, not her overly affectionate friend.

At the end of the evening Katniss had decided, since she had been drinking, she was going to walk home. Peeta had of course offered to walk with her, but she had grabbed Haymitch from the end of the bar. Apparently it was right on Haymitch's way, and the opposite direction to Peeta's place.

Peeta took himself home that night feeling confused and disappointed.

Things improved the next morning. Peeta was up early, doing what he always did when he was unhappy. Baking. When he saw Katniss appear to collect her truck he waved though the window and soon enough she was sitting at his kitchen table eating his cooking. 

"This is so good. How do you even know how to make all this stuff?"

Peeta shrugs, a little self consciously. "My family are all bakers, I don't think I could have avoided learning if I tried, not that I did, I really love it." He waits for the comments he usually gets about his childhood, about how quaint it sounds, and how lucky he is to have escaped the drudgery of that world. He doesn't tell people he still moonlights, decorating cakes for his brothers.

Instead Katniss' mind takes a totally divergent track. "So wait, is that how you got named after a bread?" A surprised laugh bursts from him.

"Yeah that's right. My parents are bakers, so of course they decide to name their kids after bread. Well kid, since somehow my brothers ended up with the perfectly normal names of David and Thomas, but when it came to the youngest, in a burst of illiterate bread pride they decide to name him Peeta." He rolls his eyes for added sarcastic emphasis.

"Okay, when you put it that way it does sound ridiculous. So what's the story then?"

Peeta leans back in his chair a bit and grins sheepishly. "Actually the truth isn't much better. It's an old family name from my mother's side. I guess my ancestors really were illiterate, well we assume they were. The best guess is they wanted to name their son Peter and couldn't spell it. Now that it's been a few generations it's traditional.

"Anyway my mother was hell bent on using it but my dad hated it. After two boys she convinced my dad if the next one was a boy she got to call him Peeta. I guess dad gambled on a girl and lost, and I ended up with a stupid name."

Katniss smiles. "Hey it's not so bad, but I sympathize. I have a weird name too. It gets old having to always spell it out for people doesn't it?" Peeta nods in shared pain.

"Since I gave all the gory details, what is the back story for your name?"

"Nothing as exciting as yours. My mother's a herbalist. She named her kids after plants. It was quite prophetic. My sister got to be a beautiful flower, and I got duck potato." Coming from any other woman Peeta would have seen this as a demand for compliments. He would be expected to gush, and say that there was no way her sister could be any more beautiful that her, and it this case it would even be true. But something about the guarded look on her face makes him pause.

"There's something to be said for potatoes. Didn't they fuel the industrial revolution?" He says instead. When her shoulders relax and she smiles he knows he took the right tack. But he resolves to look up katniss plants, and see if they are as plain as she implies.

When she leaves she kisses him on the cheek. Peeta feels a lot better. Last night was just her friends being protective, and her being sensibly cautious about letting a man she doesn't know very well walk her home late at night. Today she sat in his kitchen and liked his baking and kissed his cheek. 

His confidence doesn't last long. The next time he sees her they are back at Finn's and he is sharing his date with all her friends. All her male friends.

It becomes a pattern. He is spending lots of time with Katniss but it is never alone. It's not that he doesn't like her friends. They're great guys, genuine and fun and he can relax and be himself. But they are always there. Don't any of these guys have wives or girlfriends?

Finnick claims he is just too much for one woman to handle. Thresh, the big quiet guy who's always reading something serious and literary (his nickname is some sort of garbled reference to The Grapes of Wrath that Peeta couldn't quite understand) just shrugs. Haymitch walks away, and Katniss murmurs that he lost his wife very young and to never, ever, bring it up again. Marvin, 'call me Marvel' (nobody does), the nervous kid that works for Haymitch, explains earnestly that he just can't talk to women. When Peeta points out that he talks to Katniss just fine, the boy looks confused and says that he means 'real women.' Okay Peeta can see the kid's problem right there.

He gets it. Katniss is one of the guys, and Peeta has been absorbed into the group too. He's wishes he knew if he's just one of the guys to her.

He had looked up her namesake and discovered that Katniss had maligned the beauty of the plant. That's not to say her mother hadn't been prophetic, the beautiful flower with the sturdy practical root is the perfect symbol of the woman he might be falling in love with. The whole situation is just so weird and confusing, and how can he be falling in love with a woman he has never even kissed? 

She touches him often, but always in ways that could be just friendship. She kisses his cheek and hugs him, she squeezes her body next to his as they sit in a booth. But she never kisses his mouth, or lets her hands linger. Peeta knows he should do something, say something, clarify what they are. But he's scared of upsetting what they have. What if she does think they're dating, and she just wants to take it slow? She does seem to touch him more than the other guys. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. They call and text a lot, but who knows how much she does that with other people. The not knowing is it's own kind of hell.

At least his art isn't suffering. His new series depicting an illusive, and unattainable white flower has been well received. He has also painted her more literally, but he keeps those to himself. He is sure Katniss would never approve of him selling her face.

He's let this situation drag out too long. At this point he's certain that asking for clarification would just hurt her, implying she's either not enough, or too much for the actual status of the relationship. In the end he does nothing. Despite his flirty art world persona Peeta has never been one to put himself forward with women, and his growing feelings for Katniss make that even more difficult. Friendship is better than nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am basing a lot of Katniss' interactions and behaviors on my own experiences as a woman working a construction job, I made her a cabinet maker just like me, although her skill level is clearly above my own. 
> 
> I noticed in the books most of Katniss' friends were guys, and most of Peeta's were girls, so I wanted to reflect that here. Next chapter we will meet Peeta's circle of lady friends, and Gale will make an appearance soon too. 
> 
> Oh and I also wanted to make a comment on the conversation about Peeta not being a bread name. I always thought it was just a variation on Peter, until I started reading fan fiction and realised that everyone else seemed to think it was a derivative of pita. I was confused until I thought about how Americans pronounce the two words. Ask a British or Australian friend and you'll hear where I'm coming from, to us Peeta sounds much more like Peter than pita. Anyway I went back and forth but decided that I really wanted to just follow my own head canon on this. 
> 
> And yes I did once have a guy on a job ask for relationship advice, and then stop and say I wouldn't know anyway because I wasn't a real woman, apparently because I spend my days covered in saw dust instead of makeup. I felt bad for the woman he was trying to date.
> 
> Reviews are loved, even if you just want to argue with me.


	5. Chapter 5

Arts Foundation fundraisers are inevitably dull. The same bored rich people trying to sound knowledgeable and pretend they care about whatever art cause is up for support while the are really just trying to decide which artist they want to take home with them. Peeta has no interest in playing that game tonight, and has brought Portia with him to help chase off the predators. She has a special ability to cut off hopefuls without exactly claiming him as hers. 

so when he feels hands gliding up his back he tenses. 'Mmm, nice. I might be persuaded to rent a piece of this.' A voice purrs in his ear. Peeta turns with a laugh.

'Johanna. I'll have you know I'm taken. Didn't you see me come in with Portia?' Johanna rolls her eyes. She knows them too well to buy that.

'Where have you been keeping yourself? We haven't seen you around much lately. Snow even commented on it.' A world of warning in that comment. Peeta feels a chill run down his spine. Coriolanus Snow, President of The Arts Foundation is not someone to get on the wrong side of. Peeta decides to make himself very visible tonight to make up for skipping out on one too many events.

'I've been getting my new house and studio set up. And I've been painting a lot.' He doesn't mention his new muse. 'I've started a new series, one of the pieces is in the auction tonight.' Peeta was 'asked' to donate a painting for the charity auction later that night. He really has no problem supporting arts programs for inner city kids, he considers it one of the better causes the Foundation supports, but he really resents being basically forced to put up a painting.

They wander over to the gallery area and Peeta shows Johanna his painting. She studies it carefully. 'Something's different. Lot's of angst here. Unrequited love perhaps?' She casts him a sidelong glance. Peeta curses his friends ability to read his every emotion in his work. 'What kind of flower is that?' He doesn't want say Katniss. That would just be too much information in one ruthless woman's hands.

'Oh it's just a wild potato blossom.' He hopes he's managing to look casual enough. Johanna gives him a long look but decides to let it go. They move on and look at the other work. Soon enough they are standing in front of Johanna's 'donation'.

Peeta admires his friend's tremendous talent and skill, but as he looks at the abstract piece in front of him he wonders why anyone would want to have this hanging in their home. It radiates pain and anger with such force that Peeta has to take a step back. 'Well I see nothing has changed with you.' He turns to her with the intention of hugging her but she side steps away.  
'Don't. Don't make me look weak here. Anyway it's not your fault, and not your job to fix me.' He knows, unlike most of the people around him, that under her combat boots and spiked, dyed hair is a woman made of pain. Johanna lost her whole family in an accident when she was a young child, and grew up rattling from abusive foster home to neglectful one. It wasn't something she liked people to know, but Peeta doesn't understand how they can't guess after one look at her artwork.

'So when's the housewarming?' The subject of Johanna's emotional state is obviously closed. Peeta goes along with it.

'I hadn't really thought about having one. I can have everyone over next weekend I guess. Sunday afternoon work for you?'

'Excellent.' Johanna grins mischievously. 'Do I need to bring my own man or are you actually going to invite any guys besides Cinna?' Johanna constantly mocks him for his lack of male friends. 

'Well I guess I'll invite my brothers, although David's wife will probably chase you away from him.' he pauses as a thought strikes him, 'hey actually there's a group of guys from the neighbourhood that I've been hanging out with, so you should have plenty to choose from.' He grins at the thought of the aggressive predatory Johanna coming up against charming seductive Finnick Odair. 

'You Peeta Mellark have been hanging out with men?' Johanna gasps in mock horror. 'I don't believe it.'

'Well there are a couple of women, but yeah mostly guys. I met them at the pub down the street from my house. They brew their own beer there. Maybe I can get Finn to bring a keg.' There are so many half truths in that statement. Peeta decides he needs to just stop talking. He hopes Katniss can dig up at least one female friend so he doesn't look like a member of her harem.

\---------------------------

'Do you even have any female friends?' The words fly out before he can stop them. Katniss gives him her death glare. Haymitch huffs with laughter on her other side. They are sitting at the bar in Finn's and Peeta is clearly making a hash of inviting his new friends to his housewarming. 

Katniss lifts her chin. 'Of course I do.' In fact I'm going to invite some to meet me here right now.' She glances at Haymitch 'and you shut up if you want me to help you with that kitchen tomorrow. You know how much I hate kitchen installs, so it won't take much to keep me away.' Haymitch immediately shuts it.

Katniss pulls out her phone and starts scrolling though her contacts. 

Peeta has forgotten about her claim to female friends by the time Thresh walks in half an hour later with a woman. 

'Hey Thresh, is this a date?' Peeta asks. Thresh just stares at him.

Marvin pipes up 'Man I know all black people look the same to you white folk, but really, that much alike?' Peeta suddenly sees the strong family resemblance between Thresh and the young woman. Wow this really is his night for putting his foot in his mouth.

Katniss laughs delightedly. 'Peeta I'd like you to meet my friend Rue, who also happens to be Thresh's sister. We haven't seen much of her lately because she's been working on a big project.'

Rue puts her head on the table in exhaustion. 'It's finally done. Just take my word for it and never accept a job from a crazed megalomaniac artist.' Something about the way she says it gives Peeta a shudder of premonition.

Katniss turns to him and explains 'Rue's a landscape architect. Some creepy rich guy paid her company to rip out all of his gardens and redo them. He's had them all running in circles for weeks.' She looks back at Rue. 'Hey Peeta's an artist too, maybe he knows the guy. What was his name again?' 

Peeta knows what she's going to say before the word leaves her mouth. 'Snow.' 

It seems so chilling and wrong to hear that man's name here. He glances around the room, almost as if he expects to see man himself lurking in one of the corners.

Softly, because you never can be too careful Peeta says 'well then I second Rue's recommendation and suggest that all of you stay as far away from that psycho as you can.' He looks at Rue. 'You were lucky to get out of there alive. I've seen him destroy people's careers on a whim. Don't let him get any control over you because trust me he will use it.' 

Shocked silence is broken by, of course, Marvin. 'Seriously Peet? You make him sound like Dr Evil.' Everyone laughs uncomfortably.

Peeta forces himself to smile. 'Okay maybe I exaggerated a little, but trust me, you guys do not want to take a job for him. He is not someone you want to be around.' They all nod and go back to their conversations. Peeta sighs in relief. He came on too strong with his warning, but the truth is he didn't exaggerate at all.

Katniss leans into his side and murmurs 'it sounds like that guy has some control over you. Who is he?' He should have know Katniss would see through him.

'Only the most powerful man in the art world. He basically controls us all. If you want to be a sucessful artist in Panem you need his stamp of approval.'

'Sounds awful. You guys should really think about overthrowing him.' Huh. The idea has honestly never occurred to him. Everyone seemed to be mostly just waiting for the old guy to die, but actually taking the man's power away would be so much better. But how could it even be done? It would be impossible. He pushes the thought aside and goes back to the bar to convince Finn to bring beer to his party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, enough ominous Snow stuff? In case you haven't gotten it yet the art world is supposed to be a parallel of the capitol. So of course Snow rules the art world. 
> 
> Next up Peeta's house warming, conflict with Snow and some advancement of Everlark.


	6. Chapter 6

"So did you plan on your party turning into some kind of weird singles mixer?" Peeta looked up to see Finn grinning mischievously at him from across the bar. He had been expecting some comments about the housewarming, but Finn was a fine one to talk.

"I didn't see you complaining." Finn's grin grows even wider. Peeta had expected him to be drawn into Johanna's orbit the second he set eyes on her, and he had, but they had acted more like long lost siblings than anything else. Finn had actually spent the afternoon focused on Annie, the sweet shy children's book illustrator who had been one of Peeta's closest friends in college. She is one of the kindest loveliest people Peeta knows, but she is also vulnerable. 

"Please don't be just fooling around with her, she's..."

"She's special. I know. And I know it doesn't look like it but I really am a one woman kind of guy." Peeta tilts his head in disbelief. Finn flirts with every woman who walks through the door. "Look I appreciate women, and I like making them smile. But that's all it is. Besides Annie saw exactly how I am and she doesn't seem to mind."

Peeta chews his lip trying to decide how much to say. "It's not just that."

Finn's face becomes serious. "Don't worry, she told me about her mental health issues." Peeta's eyes widen in surprise. Annie doesn't open up to just anybody. But apparently she already trusted Finnick. 

"Well I guess I should just trust her judgement." He still doesn't like it.

His train of thought is interrupted when Finn let's out a low groan. Peeta turns to see a tall man seating a blonde woman at the other end of the bar. "Who's that?"

"You haven't met Kantiss' ex? Oh you're in for a treat." Peeta examines the man closely. Handsome enough it you like talk dark and broody, wearing an expensive looking suit. The woman with him looks like a porcelain doll, all blonde hair and ivory skin with pink cheeks.

He turns back to Finn. "So what's the story, and why is he here? He doesn't exactly fit."

Finnick glances over his shoulder. "Oh I think I'll let Katniss fill you in on that." Peeta turns to smile at her as she slips onto the stool next to him. She has a smudge of something on her face, and she's still dressed in her basic work uniform of painter pants and tank. He feels such a rush of affection for this amazing unpretentious woman. She slides her arm through his and lays her head against him. She sighs deeply and he feels himself relaxing. Something about having her here, leaning into him so easily feels like home.

"Long day?"

"The customer's an engineer," she says as if that explains everything. "I should have just listened to Haymitch and doubled the bid, I certainly spent twice as long on it." Peeta still isn't sure what she's talking about, but Katniss is distracted when Finn puts a glass in front of her. 

"What's this?" She questions.

"Water. You're ex is here, and I do not need you drinking." Katniss groans and burrows her face even further into Peeta's arm. After a moment she sighs and looks up. 

"You ordered yet?" She asks Peeta. He shakes his head. She jumps up, dragging him along behind her. "Bring us two of whatever special is" she says over her shoulder to Finn as she pulls Peeta to the smallest booth at the back. The one she sits in when she wants to be left alone.

"Sorry," she says, once she has arranged herself against his body again. "I just can't handle dealing with him tonight. You don't have to stay back here with me, if you'd rather go back to the bar and hang with Finn I understand." Is she kidding? He gets to have her all to himself for once and she thinks he'd rather sit at the bar so he can have a sporadic conversation with Finn while he works?

"I'm fine here. How else will I find out what the special is?" She laughs a little. He's really is glad to be alone with her because tonight is the night. He's going to ask her out. Well he's being forced to ask her out. By all his friends. Because of his stupid housewarming. 

They had all taken one look at him looking at Katniss and knew. When he had denied any kind of romantic relationship Johanna had raised her eyebrows and asked if Katniss knew that. He knew she was thinking about how Katniss had reacted to meeting Jo. It probably didn't mean anything, but Katniss didn't seem to like Jo. And and she was bit more affectionate, a bit more scowly the whole evening.

Portia had told him with a smirk and a glance at Katniss, that she couldn't make it to the awards dinner next week, but she was sure Cinna could come up with a dress for a different date.

Peeta really doesn't want to take her to a stupid Arts Foundation awards dinner, but with everyone pushing and his knowledge of the kind of women he'll have hitting on him if he goes alone... It's decided. He's going to ask her. Maybe not this instant, but sometime this evening. She's not saying anything, just leaning against him. It should be a comfortable silence, but the stress is clawing at him, and he just wants to distract himself for a moment.

"Why are engineers bad customers?" he asks, remembering what she said earlier.

Katniss sighs again and sits up. "Only because they are the most nit picky, anal, perfectionists you could ever come across." Well there doesn't seem to be much to add to that. 

The silence stretches between them again. Peeta wishes she would cuddle back into him. He needs to just ask her.

He can't believe it. She said yes. She smiles and says "of course". Like there shouldn't be any doubt. Does this mean he's been agonizing over this for nothing, that they are already a couple? He wants to ask, he's actually formulating the question when her eyes skip over his shoulder and she frowns. He turns and see's tall dark and brooding standing behind him. 

"Katniss, I guess you didn't see me when you came in. I wanted to talk to you." He says. Up close he's intimidating. The kind of man you could imagine jumping out of a helicopter with a machine gun before he stages a hostile takeover of your company. Peeta feels inferior just sitting there, especially since he's being completely ignored.

"I saw you Gale, I just didn't want to talk to you." She immediately turns her eyes back to Peeta. Gale has been dismissed. He doesn't take the hint. 

"Why are you ignoring me, we were friends weren't we?" She cuts her eyes back to him, scowling now.

"We were, but everything since then kind of burned that don't you think? Look, I've moved on. As have you clearly." She nods toward the blonde sitting at the bar, flirting with Finn. "So if you don't want to lose another girl to Finnick O'dair I suggest you get back over there." Gale looks back toward his date and swears under his breath. 

"I'll talk to you later, I'm not done" he says over his shoulder as he hurries back to the bar. 

Peeta tries to decide which one of the questions swimming in his brain he wants to ask first.

"Don't ask" Katniss says. Oh. Well okay. Peeta can see she's not in the mood to be pushed. "What kind of thing do people wear to Arts Foundation dinners?" she asks, trying to pretend the whole conversation with her ex never happened. Peeta struggles to get back to that, because all he can think about is her saying "I've moved on." Did she look at him when she said that? Or did she mean it more generally, in the sense that she no longer misses her ex?

"Oh um, it's formal. But you're kind of expected to show some artistic flair, which before you ask, I don't really know what that means. Cinna can help you out though, Portia always dresses me for these things, so they'd probably make sure we match or something."

She grins, "Cinna, I remember him from your party. Can I trust him, or will he put me in some sort of torture device?" Peeta laughs at the image of Katniss in four inch heels and a dress she has to be laced into.

"He liked you, so he'll be nice." Katniss grins again, but then the smile dims.

"He's keeps looking at me. I can't sit here like this. I'm sorry, can we work out the details later? I want to go home." It is pretty awkward sitting there with the guy's eyes boring into his back. "Walk me out to my van?"

The same eyes follow them as the cross the room to leave. This whole situation is giving Peeta the creeps. Particularly since it's early, with plenty of people out and about. It seems odd that Katniss would need him to walk her out. But maybe she just wants to talk to him a bit longer.

"Can you call or text when you get home?" he asks. And she nods, and then leans into him and hugs him. He's just about to ask if she's okay, if she wants to sleep in his guest room tonight when she pulls his head down and kisses him.

It's not the magical moment he's been dreaming of, it's fumbling and anxious like first kisses often are, but she's kissing him. Finally. It's amazing. Peeta's certain now. He is in love with this woman.

And then he looks up. Sees Gale the ex standing at the door to the pub, watching them. Sees him slam back inside. "Is he gone?" Katniss asks, still tucked into his body.

Did she just kiss him to get rid of her creeper ex? Did she accept his invitation to the dinner for the same reason? Does she care about him at all? Some of what he's feeling must show on his face, because as he backs away from her she lunges after him. 

"Peeta, wait, please." But he can't. 

His phone rings and buzzes all the way home. He checks it once to make sure she's home safe, and then Peeta turns it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between updates. I got really stuck on the housewarming, so finally I just decided to skip it. There are going to be some more references to it, and I may end up making it an outtake eventually, but I just felt like I kept trying to write it now this story would never be done.
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy my introduction of Gale here, and please let me know what you think.


	7. Dinner

Peeta will attend the dinner alone, he decides. It's too humiliating to explain what happened with Katniss to any of his friends, who of course all knew he was going to ask her, so he will be alone, and hit on by the numerous emaciated cougars that stalk these kind of events. He can handle it. It'll be fine. He'll just be sure to avoid Snow, and Johanna all evening. In five hours it will all be over and he can come home and to spend some more time staring at the portrait of Katniss that he painted so optimistically last month.

He dresses himself in the clothes Portia selected and takes deep breaths as he wills himself into his public persona. It's more difficult than usual. He's gotten used to being himself. Spending so much time with people who don't care about the art world has spoiled him. He needs to do something about that. Though with is current plan to avoid Katniss for the rest of his life that shouldn't be too much of a problem. He misses the guys from Finn's though. They're Katniss' friends really, but some of them have become his friends too. He misses having serious conversations about the creative process with Thresh. He misses Finn's dry sense of humor and Haymitch's sarcasm. He misses Katniss... and he has to stop thinking about her.

When the doorbell rings he opens the door without too much thought, and sees her. For a moment he wonders if this is some fantasy come to life. But he's never fantasized this. She looks, elegant, glamorous, and completely unlike Katniss. This isn't dream Katniss, it's wrong, and so he knows she's real.

"Are you going to let me in?" she demands, scowling. At least one thing is the same.

"What do you want?" he asks. He doesn't want to see her like this. Dressed up for a date, something she never bothered to do for him. It's like she's rubbing it in his face. 

"What do you mean? Didn't you ask me to go to your fancy dinner? Let's go." She seriously expected that the date was still on? As he takes in her appearance more carefully he can see that she followed through with Cinna, and that his own accessories are planned to compliment her dress. He wants to curse his friends, but hey he never actually told them he was done with Katniss, so they probably thought they were helping.

"Katniss I don't think that's such a good idea under the circumstances."

She rolls her eyes. "What, you mean the circumstances that involve you sulking?" His anger, that has been simmering for the last two weeks boils to the surface.

"The circumstances where you kiss me to get rid of your old boyfriend!"

"It didn't stop you from kissing me back" she snarls.

"Because I thought it was real." He's said too much. He can tell by the way her expression softens. Then she grabs his lapels and yanks him toward her and kisses him. Her teeth knock against his and his mouth is aggressively invaded. Peeta jerks his head back and glares at her. 

"Stop thinking so much Peeta. I let my sister curl my hair and put on makeup on me for you. So let's just go to this thing, and the food better be worth wearing such uncomfortable shoes." She turns and heads toward his garage. She's seriously planning on going to the dinner. Peeta stares after her for a moment before he scrambles to gather his stuff and follow her out.

It's silent in the car. Which gives Peeta plenty of time to think, despite Katniss' warning. Why is she doing this? What does she want? Is she always such a terrible kisser? Will he get to kiss her again? He has no answers. 

Peeta's goals for the evening remains unchanged, even though he now has a date. Avoid Snow, avoid Johanna, leave as early as possible. Katniss is not useful in achieving this. They've barely walked in and she's waving Johanna over.

"Hey brainless, lover boy, nice to see you two out and about." 

Katniss scowls. "I forgot, I don't like you. Go away again." Johanna throws back her head and laughs loudly, drawing the attention of half the room. Well, there goes Peeta's big plan to fly under the radar tonight. 

"Brainless I refuse to hate you back. In fact I like you more all the time. It's about time this boy found a woman with some backbone." Perhaps he could quietly slip away. They do seem quite focused on each other. Katniss turns slightly and grabs his hand. To late! He can't escape. She's holding on so tightly. And he realises that despite the fierce front she's putting up, she's nervous.

He can't help it, he draws her a bit nearer, and she responds by leaning into him. Johanna smirks. "Although now I think about it I do see someone I want to talk to, see you two, hmm, after you've spent some alone time?" With a suggestive lift of her eyebrows she saunters off. Peeta knows he's blushing, and he thinks, (he's not sure because he refuses to look directly at her) that Katniss is too. But she doesn't move away from him. If anything she's pressing closer. He's missed her so much. 

"Are you okay?" he asks, when she doesn't seem to be detaching herself.

"Sorry, this just, well, it's a lot to take in." Peeta glances around at the the crowd. He's grown used to the over the top nature of these kind of events, but through the eyes of a normal person it's absurd. He sees one woman entirely clothed in feathers, and another that is almost naked. The men are slightly more conservative, slightly. 

"Perhaps I should have brought Finn instead." She's still laughing when Snow stops in front of them. 

"Lovely to see you having such a nice time Mr Mellark" he says, and he seems perfectly cordial, if you don't look in his eyes. "I don't believe I've met your friend..." 

"Oh, this is Katniss Everdeen, Katniss this is Coriolanus Snow, the President of the Art's Foundation." Snow looks at him, and Peeta knows he's supposed to supply more information about Katniss. "Katniss is a decorative artist." Interest flits across Snow's face. Why did he have to say that? He should have made her seem as boring as possible. Now Snow is interested in her. That can't be good.

"How fascinating, are you thinking of joining the foundation? We added a sub category for decorative artists last year." Because, you know, we want to control them too, but we can't have them thinking they're real artists. The subtext can't be any plainer. Peeta knows Katniss hears it because her hand tightens around his. 

"Oh Peeta likes to flatter me, but I hardly consider myself an artist, I just build furniture, I wouldn't really fit in will all of you."

"And yet here you are." Peeta doesn't know why they're sparring like this, but it feels dangerous.

"Sorry to cut this short Coriolanus, but we haven't even found our table..." The President nods graciously and takes Katniss' hand.

"It was a pleasure Miss Everdeen, I do hope we get the chance to chat later," and then he moves off.

Katniss stares after him. "I know you warned me about that guy, but that was weird right?" Peeta winces. 

"Not so loud, we can talk about him later, but not here." She gives him a curious look, but stops commenting.

The dinner is as long and boring as expected, but having Katniss with him definitely improves things. She gives off a fierce, possessive vibe that other women don't even bother to mess with. And she makes him laugh. Peeta has become jaded to the absurdity, but having Katniss rolling her eyes and whispering snarky comments makes it all feel fresh and strange again. They don't get a chance to talk to much though, and, sticking to one element of his plan he hustles her out as soon as the main ceremony is over.

Peeta has been wanting to talk to her alone, but now that they are in the car he can't think of how to start. He needs to know where he stands, did she come out of a sense of obligation? As a good friend? Or as more? He doesn't know how to act, what she wants from him. Katniss quietly directs him to drop her at her place, and he politely walks her to the door. Is it out of the question to kiss her? She did kiss him earlier, but it seemed to be more about proving a point than enjoying the experience. He's never had a problem making a move on a woman before, but this is so important. 

Katniss takes the problem out of his hands by launching another one of her mouth attacks. It is so bad Peeta almost wants to laugh. At least he knows she wants to kiss him. If only it wasn't so awful. He gently disentangles himself and she gives him an anxious look. 

"Katniss..." he begins, how can he express what he feels, that he's not looking for some sort of casual thing, that he's in love with her, and can she please calm down and let him kiss her, because there's no hurry? He phone rings suddenly, breaking the moment, and he sighs and takes a step back. She takes it out looking apologetic.

"It's my sister, she knows I'm with you, she wouldn't be calling unless it was important." He nods, and turns to leave, but she grabs his hand as she answers the call. Peeta is trapped as an unwilling eavesdropper. And the news her sister has doesn't seem to be good. He tries to gently slip his hand away, but she grasps him tighter. He gives her a pleading look, but she shakes her head. 

"Look, Peeta's here now, so I'll talk to him about it, okay? Don't make any promises." The voice on the the other end is still talking when she hangs up.

"Peeta, I'm so sorry to do this, but a situation has come up" she says, talking to his shoes. This is obviously going to be bad. "I um, I know it's short notice, and it won't be much fun for you, but you'd be doing me a huge favor if you would come with me next weekend to a family dinner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So is this what you were hoping for? It's not resolution but it's another step in that direction. But Katniss has now caught Snow's eye.  
> I don't have a lot of comments on this one, but I would still love to hear what you think.


End file.
